2 Chronicles 3
1 Then began Solomon, to build the house of Yahweh, in Jerusalem, in Mount Moriah, where he had appeared unto David his father, —in the place which David had prepared, in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
Then Solomon’s workers started to build the temple for Yahweh in Jerusalem. They built it on Moriah Hill, where [an angel from] Yahweh had appeared to his father David. They built it on the ground that Araunah, a descendant of the Jebus people-group, had sold to David and where David said that it should be built.
2 And he began to build, in the second month, on the second, in the fourth year of his reign.
They began the work in April, when Solomon had been ruling almost four years.
3 And, these, are the things wherein Solomon was grounded for the building of the house of God, —The length, by cubits, in the first measure, was sixty cubits, and, the breadth, twenty cubits.
The foundation of the temple was about 90 feet long and 30 feet wide.
4 And, the porch which was in front of the length, in front of the breadth of the house, was twenty cubits, and, the height thereof, was a hundred and twenty, —and he overlaid it, within, with pure gold.
The entrance room across the front of the temple was 30 feet wide and 30 feet high.
5 And, the greater house, covered he with cypress wood, and overlaid it with fine gold, —and raised thereon palms, and wreathed garlands.
Solomon’s workers used [panels/boards of] pine [wood] to line the main hall of the temple. Then they covered those panels with [very thin sheets of] pure gold. Then they decorated the walls with [carved images of] palm trees and designs that resembled chains.
6 And he covered the house with precious stones, for beauty, —and, the gold, was gold of Parvaim.
They decorated the temple with very valuable stones. The gold that they used was from [the land of] Parvaim.
7 And he covered the house, the beams, the entrance-hall, and the walls thereof and the doors thereof, with gold, —and he carved cherubim upon the walls.
They covered the ceiling beams, the door frames, the walls and the doors of the temple with [very thin sheets of] gold. They also carved [statues of] winged creatures on the walls.
8 And he made the most holy house, the length whereof, was, according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and, the breadth thereof, twenty cubits, —and he covered it with fine gold, to [the number of] six hundred talents;
They also built the Very Holy Place [inside the temple]. It was 30 feet wide and 30 feet long. They covered its walls with sheets of pure gold that altogether weighed 23 tons.
9 and, the weight of the nails, amounted to fifty shekels of gold, —and, the upper chambers, covered he with gold.
They used 1-1/4 pounds of gold to [cover the heads of] the nails. They also covered the walls of the upper rooms with sheets of gold.
10 And he made, in the most holy house, two cherubim, of carved work, —and covered them with gold.
Solomon’s workers made two statues of creatures with wings to put inside the Very Holy Place. They covered those statues with [very thin sheets of] gold.
11 And, as for the wings of the cherubim, the length of them, was twenty cubits, —the one wing, by the cubit was five, reaching to the wall of the house, and, the other wing, five cubits, reaching to the wing of the other cherub;
[Each statue had two long wings]. One wing of each statue touched one of the walls of the Temple. The other wing of each statue touched a wing of the other statue. It was 7-1/2 feet from the outer tip of one wing to the outer tip of the other wing. The inner wings of the two statues touched each other.
12 and, the wing of the other cherub, was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house, —and, the other wing, was five cubits, cleaving to the wing of the other cherub:
13 the wings of these cherubim, outspread, were twenty cubits, —and, they themselves, were standing upon their feet, and, their faces, were inward.
It was 30 feet from the outer wing of the one statue to the outer wing of the other statue. The statues faced the doorway to the main room.
14 And he made a vail, of blue and purple, and crimson and byssus cloth, —and raised thereon cherubim.
Solomon’s workers made a curtain [to separate the main room from the Very Holy Place]. It was made of blue, purple, and red thread and fine linen. There were figures of winged creatures that were embroidered on the curtain.
15 And he made, for the front of the house, two pillars, thirty five cubits in length, —and, the capital which was upon the top of each, was five cubits.
They made two [bronze] pillars and put them at the entrance of the temple. They were each 27 feet high. Each had a top over it that was 7-1/2 feet high.
16 And he made wreathen chains in the shrine, and put them upon the top of the pillars, —and he made one hundred pomegranates, and put them in the chains,
The workers made [carvings that resembled] chains and put them on top of the pillars. They made [carvings that resembled] pomegranates and attached them to the chains.
17 And he reared up the pillars in front of the temple, one, on the right, and, one, on the left, —and called the name of that on the right hand, Jachin, and the name of that on the left, Boaz.
They set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the south side [of the entrance] and the other on the north side. The one on the south side was named Jakin and the one on the north side was named Boaz.
